title: Evidence for involvement of endogenous acetylcholine in emotional-aversive response in the cat.
abstract: 1. The purpose of the present study was to provide evidence for involvement of endogenous acetylcholine in naturally as well as pharmacologically induced emotional behaviour in the cat. 2. Emotional-aversive responses of 10 cats were naturally evoked by presentation of a dog or the responses were pharmacologically induced by intracerebral injections of cholinomimetics. 3. Naturally evoked emotional behaviour was abolished by i.p. pretreatment with atropine sulfate (1 mg/kg), but not by atropine methyl nitrate, or it was significantly decreased by bilateral intracerebral injection of atropine sulfate (5 micrograms/microliter). 4. On the other hand, intracerebral injections of physostigmine (100 micrograms/microliter), an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor which elevates the level of endogenous acetylcholine, induced the fully developed emotional-aversive response comparable with natural behaviour and with responses induced by carbachol (10 micrograms/microliter). 5. The results demonstrate that the endogenous acetylcholine in the basal forebrain and diencephalic areas play a role in naturally occurring emotional aversive behaviour in cats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, University Hospital, London, Canada.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brudzynski
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eckersdorf
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Golebiewski
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001286:Atropine Derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D002415:Cats; D002417:Cattle; D004285:Dogs; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007032:Hypothalamus, Anterior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010830:Physostigmine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D001286:Atropine Derivatives; D001285:Atropine; C006649:methylatropine; D010830:Physostigmine; D000109:Acetylcholine